THE PUBLIC MINISTRY OF JESUS

THE PUBLIC MINISTRY OF JESUS

INTRODUCTION:

First, it is important to know that the Gospels, which tell the story of Jesus from his birth to his death and ascension into heaven, are not, in reality, biographies intended to cover his entire earthly life; they only tell us certain key moments, the defining and decisive moments of his earthly life. Therefore, there is information that we are missing because it was not revealed to us in the Gospels.

In the Gospels, we hear of his miraculous birth. After his birth, there is a moment of silence, and then we hear of him only at the age of 12 in the temple in Jerusalem. He then disappears again, only appearing in the Gospels at the time of his baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptist, who introduced him to the ministry. After this, we hear of his famous fast of 40 days and 40 nights, preceded by his temptation by the Devil. The end of this ordeal marks the beginning of his public ministry.

STEPS FOLLOWED BY JESUS ​​TO BEGIN THE MINISTRY:

Thus, to enter public service or the ministry, Jesus goes through several stages.

FIRST STEP:

1. THE MIRACULOUS BIRTH:

The first step is His miraculous birth. This is one of God's principles. One cannot begin a ministry without existing on planet Earth. One must first exist on Earth before one can exercise one's ministry. Thus, despite His divinity, Jesus first had to be born in a physical body and live among humans to exercise His ministry.

WHAT DOES THIS STAGE OF BIRTH SYMBOLISE FOR US?

For us, it symbolizes the new birth. This new birth is a miraculous birth through which we become children of God and citizens of heaven. For those who wish to serve God or go to heaven, this is the obligatory path. One cannot serve God without being born again. It is practically impossible.

Thus, the first and most important step in serving in the Church and exercising ministry is the new birth, and the born-again biblically responds to the call to salvation issued by the Holy Spirit in their heart.

For there are four kinds of callings: the call to salvation, the call to service, the call to ministry, and the call to the afterlife. And all those called to ministry must experience these four callings in their lives. Remember that of all these callings, the most fundamental is the call to salvation, because it facilitates the process of being born again.

TO YOUR ATTENTION:

The new birth is the result of a process that begins with your decision to follow Christ and make Jesus your Lord and Savior. This decision must usually be followed by conversion and repentance, which is the remission of sins. At the end of this process, you must be baptized by immersion to publicly confirm your membership in the kingdom of God.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF BEING BORN AGAIN?

The new birth gives us three rights: First, it gives us the right to become a child of God and a citizen of heaven. Second, it gives us the right to serve God, to participate in His work, and to become a worker in the Kingdom. Third, it gives us the right to enter heaven and live with God for eternity.

SECOND  STEP:

2. APPRENTICESHIP IN THE TEMPLE:

In the second stage of Jesus' life before his introduction to ministry, we see him in the temple at the age of 12, where he is introduced and introduced as a teacher among the religious leaders of his time, who today represent the fathers and elders in the faith and in the body of Christ.

JESUS ​​AT 12 IN THE TEMPLE: (Luke 2:41-52)

41 Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem every year for the Passover feast. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up with him, as was the custom for the feast. 43 Then, when the feast was over, they left, but the child Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, unnoticed by his mother and Joseph. 44 Thinking he was with their companions, they went a day's journey, looking for him among their relatives and acquaintances. 45 But they did not find him, and they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.

46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were amazed. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” 49 He said to them, “Why did you look for me? Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?” 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them. 51 He went down with them to Nazareth and was subject to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.

AT 12, JESUS ​​BEGINS HIS TEACHING APPRENTICESHIP:

We know that Jesus grew up humbly and discreetly, out of sight.

But in this particular story, why does the Gospel specify that he was twelve years old? Does this clarification about his age tell us anything? (THE BAR MITZVAH OF JESUS)

Here are the answers: Yes. First, in Jewish tradition, 12-13 years is the age at which a child or adolescent begins attending the Temple; 12 is traditionally the age of apprenticeship.

Twelve is also the approximate age of the Bar Mitzvah, a holiday that celebrates a child's transition to adulthood within the Jewish community. Traditionally, at a Bar Mitzvah, the boy is expected to read a passage from the Torah and then answer a series of questions posed by the elders to ensure he has at least a basic understanding of Jewish law and the Torah.

Although, in the case of Jesus, the pattern seems reversed:

for we can see, throughout his Gospel texts, that it is not Jesus who learns and answers questions, but Jesus who teaches and questions the sages, the elders, and the doctors of the Law.

In other words, Jesus presents himself as a teacher, not a student. However, despite this, we retain that Jesus, while being God Himself, strives to respect the procedure to become both master and servant in the house of God. For one cannot become a teacher without passing under the feet of other teachers.

JESUS ​​AGREES TO LEARN AS A DISCIPLE:

The story of Jesus, at the age of 12, sitting in the Temple among the Magi and the doctor of law, listening to them and questioning them, reveals the spirit of study that animated him before he himself became a teacher. Despite his divinity, he humbled himself to learn Torah and Jewish traditions from his fathers and elders.

Luke 2:46 states:

"They found him in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions."

This twelve-year period, until his appearance at the Jordan to be baptized by John the Baptist, was the period of apprenticeship for the ministry. It was during this sealed period that Jesus prepared for the exercise of his public ministry.

Likewise, all those who wish to serve in God's house or exercise a ministry must necessarily undergo this period of apprenticeship, in which one humbly accepts to learn from a master. Thus, to serve God, one must necessarily undergo discipleship before becoming a master oneself and exercising a ministry.

For Jesus himself gives us the example and model to follow in service. Despite his divinity, he did not immediately begin teaching publicly; he accepted to learn in secret from the Magi and the teachers of the law before beginning his ministry.

THIRD STEP:

JESUS ​​INTRODUCED TO THE MINISTRY BY JOHN THE BAPTIST:

When the time came for Jesus to begin his ministry, God used the prophet John the Baptist, Jesus' older brother and nephew, to initiate him into the ministry. This introduction to his public ministry took place publicly before the Jews at the Jordan River, near Jerusalem, through water baptism.

THE BAPTISM OF SERVICE:

While John's baptism was certainly a baptism of repentance, Jesus' had a different symbolism: it signified his introduction to service, a baptism of service, not of repentance, for Jesus had no need of repentance. This baptism was therefore his official introduction to the service of his Father and to his public ministry.

THE JORDAN RIVER, THE PLACE OF JESUS' CONSECRATION:

The Jordan River thus represents the place of Jesus' enthronement in his public ministry. It evokes for us a ceremony of consecration and ordination where an elderly prophet, John the Baptist, must acknowledge the grace and ministry of a young prophet named Jesus of Nazareth.

We recall here that although Jesus is God, he does not skip steps in ministry but follows the process and principle established by God before beginning his ministry. Even though he is God, he cannot acknowledge himself. An elder or father must acknowledge his ministry in order to exercise his ministry in Israel with complete credibility.

MATTHEW 3:11-17

11 I indeed baptize you with water to repentance. But he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in his hand; he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan River to be baptized by him. 14 But John opposed him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and are you coming to me?" 15 Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." And John no longer resisted him. 16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he came up straightway from the water. And behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

THREE IMPORTANT THINGS ABOUT HIS CONSECRATION:

Three important events occurred during Jesus' consecration ceremony and his inauguration into his public ministry. First, the heavens were opened, symbolizing everything he would do from that day forward; heaven would accept him. Second, the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove, symbolizing the anointing he had received from heaven to carry out his public ministry. Third, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," symbolizing heaven's testimony about him and his ministry.

FOR YOUR ATTENTION:

Here are three important things every true servant of God must have: First, he must walk with heaven open, so that whatever you ask, heaven will grant you; Second, he must have the anointing to minister—the anointing to teach, heal the sick, and deliver the possessed; Third and finally, he must receive the testimony of heaven, so that heaven will recognize you as one of its envoys on earth.

FOURTH STAGE:

SPIRITUAL PREPARATION:

In this fourth stage, we see Jesus setting an example by preparing himself spiritually through this famous 40-day and 40-night fast, aware that the mission entrusted to him is great and that he cannot accomplish it without a solid spiritual foundation. The Lord Himself shows us here the importance of spiritual preparation through prayer and fasting before beginning his ministry.

The 40 days and 40 nights of fasting and prayer were like a kind of personal retreat in the desert where Jesus was to devote time to intimacy with his Father in the wilderness. It was during these 40 days and 40 nights that Jesus prepared himself spiritually to begin his public ministry.

MATTHEW 4:2

After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he became hungry.

IMPORTANT TO KNOW:

Spiritual preparation is essential in ministry, as the man of God is called to solve the spiritual problems of his people. However, to solve these problems, we need spiritual formation through fasting, prayer, retreats, and prayer vigils, which will enable the messenger to act effectively on the ground.

Ministry preparation is achieved not only by taking a theology course or Bible training, but also by fasting, prayer, reading the Scriptures, and spending time alone in personal vigils and retreats to seek the face of God.

STEP FIVE:

THE TRIAL:

The fifth step was for Jesus to confront the Devil/Satan before beginning his public ministry. He was tempted, tested, and tried.

MATTHEW 4:1-11

Jesus was then led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread." 4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" 5 The devil took him up to the holy city and set him on a pinnacle of the temple.

6 And he said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written: 'He will give his angels charge concerning you;' and in their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone." 7 Jesus said to him, "It is also written: 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'" 8 Again, the devil took him up to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these things I will give you if you fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Get out of here, Satan! For it is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” 11 Then the devil left him. And behold, angels came to Jesus and ministered to him.

TRIALS ARE FOR EVERYONE:

All who want to serve the Lord will go through trials, persecutions, temptations, and difficult times. This is part of the path we must take to achieve glory. These trials are important to sharpen, shape, and mold us so that we ultimately become instruments of God.

TO YOU WHO ARE THROUGH THE TRIAL PHASE, DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED:

The fact that Jesus, 100% human, went through the same trials and overcame them proves that we too can overcome them if we persevere in faith. So, let us not be discouraged by trials, but let us persevere in prayer and faith. God will ultimately save us in the name of Jesus.

YOU MUST OVERCOME IT FOR YOUR FUTURE:

This story of temptation illustrates some trials or temptations that we absolutely must overcome to be strong tomorrow in our vocation, because losing puts our destiny at stake. See also the story of Joseph's temptation by his master's wife in the Bible.

THE TEMPTATION OF JOSEPH (GENESIS 39:7-20)

7After this, his master's wife looked at Joseph and said, "Lie with me!" 8 But he refused and said to her, "My master doesn't oversee anything in the house with me; he has entrusted all his goods to me. 9 No one is greater than I in this house, and he has withheld nothing from me, except you, because you are his wife. How could I have committed this great wickedness and sinned against God?" » 10 She spoke to Joseph every day, but he did not listen and refused to sleep with her or be with her. 11 One day he went into the house to do his work, and no one from the house was there. 12 She grabbed him by his garment and said, “Lie with me!” He left his garment in her hand and went out. 13 When she saw that he had left his cloak and run away, 14 she called her family and said to them, “Look, he has brought a Hebrew to us to insult us. He came near to me to lie with me, but I cried out with a loud voice.” 15 When he heard my cries, he left his cloak at my house and went out." 16 She left Joseph's cloak with her until his master returned. 17 Then she said to him, "The Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to insult me. 18 When I began to cry out, he left his cloak at my house and ran away." 19 When Joseph's master heard his wife's words, saying, "This is what your slave has done to me," he was furious. 20 He seized Joseph and had him put in prison, where the king's prisoners were. So he remained in prison.

Matthew 5:11

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 24:9

Then they will deliver you up to torture and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake.

Luke 6:22

Blessed are you when people hate you and expel you and insult you and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake!

Stay tuned for the rest of this teaching on Jesus' public ministry coming soon.